Sascha Braunig

Canadian artist Sascha Braunig paints abstract images that force the viewer to reconsider the figure in lieu of uncanny pattern. Often sculpting the forms in her compositions out of clay prior to painting, Braunig’s works are all about surface, distorting simple squiggles or zig-zags into phantom objects or sensations. Inspired by Van Eyck and Holbein’s portraits, the artist’s optical illusions facilitate a potent human encounter, repetition and vibrant colors, translating the drama of shadow and texture. In a culture defined by connectivity, Braunig reminds the viewer of the skin they’re in—blending in and drowning become one and the same.

Braunig has shown internationally in a number of fairs and institutions, including at the 2015 New Museum Triennial, LOOP Video Art Fair in Barcelona, and the Bridgehampton Biennial in 2011. She has also shown at the Baltimore Museum of Art and the Institute of Contemporary Art in Portland, Maine. She received the Vincent Mielcarek Prize for Excellence in Photography in 2005 and the Betty Goldin Memorial Fund Prize in 2005. She took part in the prominent MacDowell Colony in New Hampshire in 2013.